


Eventide

by ThisIsMyTruthTellMeYours



Series: The Founders [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22424005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsMyTruthTellMeYours/pseuds/ThisIsMyTruthTellMeYours
Summary: Is Godric about to start a war with the giants? What does chivalry really mean?
Series: The Founders [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613725
Kudos: 1





	Eventide

**Disclaimer:** The ideas are mine, the characters belong to J.K.

* * *

_"Their daring nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart. I'm sure. Chivalry. What does that even mean? A quality associated with the long-dead medieval institution of knighthood, made of men who took pride in a rather extensive moral code but would not hesitate to commit theft or rape when there wasn't anybody watching. Quite honourable. Not to mention hypocritical."  
_

_**Severus Snape in "The Enemy Within", fanfic by This is My Truth Tell Me Yours** _

* * *

"You went up to the glaciers, didn't you?" Salazar asked, closing the door behind him.

"I told you I would," Godric answered with a boyish smile as he removed his helmet and placed it over the table. He removed his sword untying some knots with his wand and placed it next to the helmet, still inside its sheath. Much like the rubies inset in handle of the sword, the sheath was red, made of dragon hides and threads of gold. There was, Salazar noticed, some dry blood on what could be seen of the silver blade.

Godric proceeded then to remove the gauntless of his armour and his gloves.

"It was a special kind of cold up there, Salazar. Worst that our worst winters combined," he said, gasping a little. He was tired, "I wouldn't be surprised to discover that the ice on those glaciers was created by giant magic. Their skin is so thick you have to push your sword more than a foot into their flesh to draw blood. Those craven creatures don't even need the furs that they wear, it's merely decorative! They adorn themselves with fur while the people in the northern villages die from exposure," Godric said, angry and unfairness of it all

Salazar was quiet. It seemed to him that a man wearing a goblin-made armour made of rubies, silver and gold had no business complaining about the ostentatious behaviour or others, but he thought it best not to point that out to his friend.

Godric shook his head and drops water and ice flew from the tips of his long hair in every direction.

"A little help?" he asked, looking down at the lions drawn with gold in his chest plate.

Salazar pointed his wand at Godric to assist with the removal of his armour.

"Godric, did you kill any giants?"

"Yes!" His friend answered with conviction, strejtching his arms now that they were finally free of the pauldrons and guardbraces. "Two. They are very resistant to magic, wnad-made magic that is, but there isn't much this sword can't pierce," Gryffindor said proudly, touching the golden handle of his weapon.

"It's no wonder Ragnuk wants it back," Salazar said, sarcastically, and Godric went for the bait:

"Well goblin-king or not, he can't have it! It was specially ordered, and rightly purchased with Wizard Gold!" He said angrily, his voice an octave higher. The rumors that he'd stolen that sword had been started by goblins and were spreading like fire, "I'll handle Ragnuk after I'm finished with those giants."

"Godric, you have to stop slaying giants," Salazar said firmly, putting down his wand and letting Godric handle the fauld himself. "It's the third time this year, you'll end up starting a war!"

"What would you have me do, Salazar?" Godric asked angrily, allowing his body to fall on a wooden chair, "let them frighten and destroy the Northern villages? Let them kill those wizards and witches?"

"There should not be wizards in those lands, Godric, and if it weren't for their greediness to explore those resources there wouldn't be. That territory belongs to the giants its been theirs for centuries."

"Well, that territory gets larger every day doesn't it? Why should wizards be bullied into moving elsewhere? I say we slay them and push the boundaries of their territories farther up North."

"Why would you do this, it's a frozen wasteland!"

"And what would you do when they reach Hogwarts."

"Giants seldon travel further south."

"What if they do?" Gryffindor insisted.

"Oh, don't pretend you are worried about the safety of the school! Whenever I talk about bringing in defences you are the first one to shut me down."

"Defences? The beasts you want to bring to our castle will put our students in danger!"

"And you're attitudes don't? You are wagering war against the giants. A war you don't know you can win!"

"Sometimes it's necessary to go to war," Godric said, and he didn't sound like a belligerent man at all. He sounded tired.

"Why?"

"For honour," Godric said simply.

Salazar rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"I can't talk to you if you decide to abandon logic..." he started coldly.

"Some things are bigger and more important than the schemes you can create with your silver tongue, Salazar. You can't analyse everything! There are things you have to do for honour, and you can't analyse or explain them!"

"And what honour is there in spilling blood like you do, Godric?"

"To kill a beast is not murder."

"We can do so much better!" Salazar lost pateince for a minute. "Extend them the hand of friendship now, make them allies..."

"Alies?" Godric said, as if Salazar's words sounded absurd. "We have nothing to do with those beasts. It's so like you, Salazar, to suggest we use diplomacy with dark creatures!"

"They could be on our side, they could become protectors of Hogwarts."

"Like the basilisk you wanted to bring in?"

"I could have controlled it..."

"Oh and can you control the giants? Can you stop them from destroying the Northern Villages? Do you know how I killed the first giant this time, Salazar? I did not go into the glaciers looking for them. He came to the village. It attacked the people, set fire to the houses, crushed everything that moved. I went into a burning house and rescued a baby just seconds before the bloody giant crushed the house with his feet! Her mother was a young witch whose wand had been destroyed in the fire. They were helpless and frightened! And I thrust my sword in the giant's eye before he could attack that girl!"

"I see," Salazar noted, sarcastically, "and I bet you let another baby inside that young woman before returning to Hogwarts."

Godric smiled. They were arguing, but Salazar was also a man, not to mention his best friend. He knew how those things went.

"I think we should ask Rowena's opinion," Salazar suggested, "and Helga's for that matter."

"Leave them out of this, they won't understand."

"They understand better than you do."

"Salazar, I was protecting those people! Trying to make them safe!"

"I am sure you think you were, I am sure you would rather pretend you are not belligerent you are simply 'noble'. You think you are the perfect _knight_ don't you?" he stressed the word knight with disdain. There was no nobility among wizards, not like there was among muggles, so there were no knights. But Godric fancied himself one, and Salazar particularly disliked that his friend should chose to lower himself to the level of a non magical being, "A paragon of justice," Salazar continued.

"I try."

"Don't make me laugh. The notions of knighthood are hipocritical! It's bad enough that you chose to compare, even mirror yourself with muggles, but knights? I am sure they pride themselves on all sorts of 'noble' behaviours as you so eloquently put it, and they do claim to have an extensive moral code, but it does not seem to apply to the creatures they kill and the women they find in their way! Sounds like someone you know, Godric?"

"I will not be affected by your prejudices."

"Don't turn this on me! You are the one slaying the giants! Their death is in your hands and you kill them bec—"

"Because it is necessary!"

There was a pause them and the two wizards realized they had been screaming. They were now breathing heavily, and staring each other in the eye.

"Don't fool yourself, Godric," Salazar said, in a low voice, "You slay them because you like it."


End file.
